page_title: Fernando Verdasco
section_title: 2009: Australian Open semifinal
hierarchical_section_title: Fernando Verdasco / Career / 2009: Australian Open semifinal
caption_attribution_description: English: Fernando Verdasco volleys in winning match against John Isner at 2009 US Open
context_page_description: Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a Spanish professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 7, achieved in April 2009.
  His best performance in a Grand Slam was making the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, where he lost to compatriot and eventual champion Rafael Nadal in five sets. The match itself has been considered one of the greatest Grand Slam semifinals of all time. Verdasco has also reached the quarterfinals twice at the US Open, in 2009 and 2010, losing to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal respectively, the latter of whom went on to win the title, and once at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, where he led eventual champion Andy Murray by two sets to love before being defeated in five sets.
  In singles, the Spaniard won the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell and six ATP 250 tournaments and was a finalist at the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and five ATP 500 tournaments. In men's doubles, he won the 2013 ATP World Tour Finals and three ATP 500 tournaments and was a finalist at the 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters, all of them partnering with David Marrero.
context_section_description: Verdasco started his season by reaching the final of the Brisbane International losing to Radek Štěpánek in three sets. Partnering Mischa Zverev, he was also the runner-up in the doubles final. At the 2009 Australian Open Verdasco defeated Andy Murray in the fourth round to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Verdasco then lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in what was at the time the longest match in Australian Open history, lasting 5 hours, 14 minutes. Verdasco's semi-final run earned him No. 9 ranking, lifting the Spaniard into the top 10 for the first time.
  After being sidelined by injury since the Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, where he lost to Roger Federer. At the 2009 Miami Masters, Verdasco recorded his 200th ATP match win by defeating qualifier Benjamin Becker in the second round. He would go on to reach the quarterfinals, losing to Andy Murray. His run at this tournament earned him a further career-high ranking of No. 8.
  During the clay-court season, Verdasco again reached the quarterfinal stage, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Following this tournament, his ranking rose further to No. 7. In Barcelona, he lost in the quarterfinals to Fernando González. At the 2009 Rome Masters, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. At the 2009 Madrid Masters, Verdasco reached the quarterfinals, Verdasco again lost to Nadal for the ninth time. Competing as the 8th seed at the 2009 French Open, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko.
  On his first tournament on grass that season, Verdasco lost in the first round of the 2009 Gerry Weber Open to Philipp Petzschner. At the 2009 Ordina Open, he lost in the second round to eventual title winner Benjamin Becker. At the third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon, he matched his best result at that tournament by reaching the fourth round, where he was ousted by the big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlović.
  Verdasco competed in the Swedish Open as the top seed, advancing to the quarterfinals where he retired against Juan Mónaco. After a small break he played in the Rogers Cup and was defeated by Andy Roddick in the third round. He was then upset by compatriot Guillermo García-López in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in two tiebreaks. In New Haven, Verdasco defeated Igor Andreev in two tiebreak sets in the semifinals. Due to rain delays in the previous days, Verdasco returned later the same day for the final against Sam Querrey, winning in straight sets. He did not lose a set in the entire tournament. He was seeded 10th at the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic.
  Verdasco's first indoor tournament of the season was the 2009 Malaysian Open, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets in the final. At the China Open, Verdasco was seeded fifth, losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals for the third time in that year. In Shanghai, a Masters 1000 tournament, he lost his opening match to Ivan Ljubičić.
  He next competed at the Valencia Open 500. He advanced to the semifinals where he lost to top seed Andy Murray.
  He next competed at the Paris Masters as the seventh seed. In the third round, Verdasco lost to Marin Čilić. His bid in qualifying for the ATP World Tour finals depended on the results of other players because of this loss. However, Robin Söderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to pass the quarterfinals, allowing Verdasco to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup for the first time in his career.
  At the ATP Tour Finals, Verdasco lost to Roger Federer in his first Round Robin match and to Juan Martín del Potro in his second match. He then lost his third match against Andy Murray in the round-robin hence ending his run at the tournament. Verdasco finished 2009 with a 52–25 record in singles, his best record to date, and finished the year at No. 9, the first time he has finished the year in the top 10.
  To close 2009, Verdasco partnered Feliciano López in the 2009 Davis Cup Final doubles match against the Czech Republi
caption: Verdasco volley in winning match against Isner at 2009 US Open
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